Blue Team Prevails in Blue-White Scrimmage

The Liberty men's basketball team held a blue-white scrimmage, Tuesday inside the Vines Center, allowing Flames fans to get a first glance at the 2013-14 squad.

After a razor thin first half, the blue team created some distance, capitalizing on high-percentage shots en route to the 61-49 victory.

Davon Marshall paced the blue crew with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting (3-of-7 3FG) from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Chad Donley and Tomasz Gielo rounded out the blue team's double-digit scorers with 14 and 10 points, respectively, while Andrew Smith had a near double-double with eight point and a game-high nine rebounds.

Casey Roberts led the white team with 17 points. Antwan Burrus, who missed the entire 2012-13 season, made his return to the court, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. Sommy Ogukwe ended the night with 10 points and six rebounds.

With the contest consisting of two 16-minute halves, the opening stanza was tightly contested, with neither team taking more than a two-possession lead. After a Joe Retic layup gave the white squad the largest lead of the half at four points, Donley erased the deficit with a jumper and three-pointer, giving the blue team a 16-15 lead.

The white squad regained the lead in the closing minutes of the period, taking a three-point edge with four straight Sommy Ogukwe free throws. Marshall responded with two charity stripe tallies of his own and a three-pointer in final nine seconds, putting the blue team ahead, 29-27, at halftime.

In the second period, Smith and Gielo began the half with authoritative dunks. Following a Roberts layup that made it a two-point game, the blue team countered with a 10-0 run. Joel Vander Pol and Gielo kick started the burst with an old fashioned three-point play and a trey. Marshall closed it out with four consecutive tallies to give the blue team a 12-point, 43-31, advantage.

Roberts helped the white team cut the deficit to eight points with a three-pointer at the 7:27 mark. However, the squad was unable to climb any closer, as the blue team led by as much as 15 to set up the 61-49 final.

The Flames open the 2013-14 season on Nov. 8, playing host to Randolph College inside the Vines Center. Game time is slated for 8 p.m.